I paint the sea but the sea is a pretext to make a piece of work. It is more than just a vista or space for me. It is an opening, an opportunity to create work that is about colour, pigment and surface.
Taylor Galleries are pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by gallery artist
Mary Lohan.
In February 2020 I headed for Wexford and a place facing the Irish Sea, where I had worked on many previous occasions. My intention was to work on a new body of work to show, maybe later that year, or in 2021. Shortly after, the pandemic intervened and my stay was cut short. I returned to my studio in the Visual Arts Centre on Dublin's northside.
Suddenly the pandemic struck and the studios were forced to close and I was reduced to working on my dining table at home. Eventually I managed to arrange a two month fellowship in the Ballinglen Arts Foundation. Their studios are in the village of Ballycastle, on the north coast of County Mayo.
For the first time since Wexford I was able to come to grips with my work. Working in the studio in the morning I spent the afternoon and evenings exploring the beaches, the sea margins and the rugged coast line. I experienced the deserted lanes, hedgerows, fields of flag irises and rushes and the yellow of recently cut meadows. The Atlantic featured at every turn.
I paint the sea but the sea is a pretext to make a piece of work. It is more than just a vista or space for me. It is an opening, an opportunity to create work that is about colour, pigment and surface.